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Michelle Gauthier, CEO/Founder of "Mulberry & Vine Restaurants", sits down to discuss her journey from New Orleans to owning multiple retail businesses, an insider’s take on the true “fairytale” of owning a restaurant, understanding food composting, ghost kitchens vs. fast casuals (and what that means?), kiosks replacing humans, the politics surrounding food, her own personal struggles and the #1 lesson she learned regarding hiring a consultant (for any industry!)
LEARN MORE ABOUT MICHELLE: https://www.mulberryandvine.com/who-we-are/
INSTA: @mulberryandvine
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:
- You’ve always been in retail. You owned a clothing store in new Orleans and a furniture store here in the city. How the hell did you end up opening a restaurant? Why do you keep torturing yourself?
- Clean community. Are there any stereotypes of people who eat clean? Why do they exist? How did we end up here?
- What about eco friendly utensils? Are there other millennial or societal pressures? Everything comes at a cost. Where do we stop?
- Why did you choose this type of cuisine. Could have done Mexican or Italian etc. if you think back to when you had the original idea, what was the market opportunity saw?
- I think almost everyone i know at some point in their life has romanticized about opening their own restaurant. I fell into that seduction. Itll be cute, you’ll have a place you can invite all your friends. Everyone will be together and happy. Is this fairy tale accurate?
- Why do restaurants fail so quickly? What advice would you give a Millennial thinking of opening a restaurant?
- Topics:
- Restaurants are a very hot topic in media and society. A lot of changes are happening
- Fast casual space and the future of restaurants. What is fast casual concept? Why are there so many? Sweetgreen, tender greens, little beet, dig inn. Is casual dining dead in major cities?
- Technology and people. What is a ghost kitchen? Not to be confused with millennial ghosting on text. Will kiosks replace people?
- Politics and food. Regulating beverage sizes, calorie counts, trans fats. tipping laws. Good intentioned but, Why is food so politicized? and are you ok with government telling you what to do?
- Can they be helpful at all? What about controlling crazy real estate rent prices? Does that make them the good guy? If you had a magic wand, what policy changes would you make. Mayor Gauthier?
- Let’s talk about you:
- What are some Challenges or struggles you have had to overcome? What fears do you have?
- How do you exit the restaurant industry?
- What is something you wish someone had told you 5 years ago, or you had told yourself, that you had to learn on your own? But would have made life so much easier had you known.
- How can people learn more about you and get involved with your community?
